Floating
the Ruby River

The Ruby River is an easy float for all skill levels, although the many
fences, its narrow width, shallow depth and irrigation hazards can make
for some interesting and frustrating portages.

Good floating, when water levels are at least fairly high, can begin
at the confluence of the East Fork Ruby River and the West Fork Ruby
River. This section of the river is located on National Forest land,
so access is easy. A campground called Cow Camp provides the best access.

In order to float this stretch, or any stretch of the Ruby River for
that matter, don't even consider using a large boat or raft. About the
only boat that can be used for floating the Ruby River successfully and
easily is an inflatable kayak, as these narrow vessels are easy to turn,
don't take up the entire rivers width and only draw a couple of inches
of depth. While a standard canoe can work, the frequent shallow depth
of the Ruby will often require dragging the canoe across lots of the
river bottom.

For most of its length, the Ruby River has a moderate current, with
some slow water stretches found primarily in the rivers last couple of
miles.

Any floater travelling down the entire length of the Ruby River will
have to traverse Ruby
Reservoir. Happily, this reservoir is relatively
small, allowing for an easy paddle across it. Since any floater of the
Ruby should be using a small inflatable, the portage of the dam should
also be relatively easy, if somewhat time consuming.

As one floats further downstream from Ruby Dam, expect the Ruby River
r to get narrower and shallower due to irrigation withdrawls. Even in
an inflatable kayak, portages will be needed around some low water stretches,
many fences and irrigation pipes and dams.

Ruby River : Selected River Miles

Listed below are selected river miles for the Ruby River in Montana. You can get additional information about some of these fishing access sites by visiting the Montana FWP Site.

Fly Assortments

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